Flights to Los Angeles

Los Angeles is so much more than the Hollywood sign and tours revealing where movie stars live. In fact, the City of Angels is one of the most exciting places in the world, with its trendy neighbourhoods, restaurants and lounges, a booming arts scene, and – yes, it's true – the thrill of occasional celebrity spotting.

The best place to start when your flight to Los Angeles touches down is Downtown. Thanks to the light rail Expo line that connects Downtown to west Los Angeles, it’s one of LA’s coolest cultural hubs. Other neighbourhoods you could add to your list are Silver Lake, with its food trucks, record stores and farmers’ markets; Echo Park, an edgy mix of hipsters and young artists; and Koreatown, which the locals call K-town, a place where high-end lounges and invitation-only nightlife venues sit alongside cheap barbecue restaurants and all-night karaoke joints.

Despite having one of the most famous nightlife scenes in the world, this is also a city that caters to the healthy. LA is a place where you’re never far from a juice bar or a vegan cafe, where sunkissed surfers, runners and rollerbladers co-exist happily. In this city, the latest fitness trends take root more quickly than wheatgrass, and you’ll probably be glowing after your trip.

While you could easily have an action-packed week in LA without ever going near the ocean, it’s worth spending at least one afternoon at the beach to get that Cali feel. Locals go to Zuma Beach, Will Rogers State Beach and Playa Vista. And let’s not forget Disneyland, or the city’s world-class museums, vintage clothing stores and classic 1950s diners.

What to do in Los Angeles

What to do in Los Angeles

Where to eat in Los Angeles

Where to eat in Los Angeles

Places to stay in Los Angeles

Places to stay in Los Angeles

Shop at the Rose Bowl Flea Market

Walking around a flea market in LA is more than just shopping. It’s an experience, and the Rose Bowl Flea Market is the best of the bunch. You can wander along 11km of jewellery, art, antiques, vintage clothes and movie memorabilia, all housed in the iconic Rose Bowl Stadium.

Visit LA County Museum of Art

The largest art museum in the west, LACMA has a collection that spans centuries and continents, as well as stunning architecture and installations on the grounds. A free daily tour is included in the price of admission, and you can book a private tour outside of opening hours.

Hike Runyon Canyon

When you need to get away from the city, join the locals (and celebrities) by hitting Runyon Canyon for a run or a hike. There are lots of different trails to choose from, and they lead up to spectacular views of Catalina Island, Sunset Strip and the Hollywood sign. Take the heat into account before you start.

Explore La Brea Tar Pits

Right in the middle of LA you’ll find, somewhat disconcertingly, the La Brea Tar Pits. Formed by natural tar oozing out of the ground, they’re home to a huge number of fossils of long-extinct animals – skeletons of sabre-toothed cats, dire wolves and woolly mammoth have been found here.

Discover Griffith Observatory

Not just for science nerds, Griffith Observatory has the power to knock your socks off, particularly in the Planetarium where you can watch the cosmos on the domed ceiling screen. Visit after dark, when you can look at the stars through telescopes on the lawn.

Celebrity spot at Bar Marmont

If you want to schmooze with the stars, stop by Bar Marmont. This dimly lit lounge, decorated with oddball items such as stuffed peacocks, is a well-known celebrity hangout spot. The cosy corners, leather sofas and relaxed vibe make it perfect for a date.

Sqirl (Breakfast)

Toast gets a makeover at this cosy neighbourhood joint, where there’s almost always a line queuing out the door. It’s worth the wait though for Sqirl’s brilliant brioche toast with toppings such as homemade jam, almond-hazelnut butter and chocolate ganache. There’s also a healthy lunch menu.

Son of a Gun (Seafood)

This laidback shack serves up some of the best seafood in LA, including oysters, lobster rolls, shrimp toast and, if you fancy a change, a mouth-watering chicken sandwich. The decor is pretty cool too, with sturdy wood panelling and walls adorned with anchors and lifesavers.

Night+Market Song (Thai)

Silver Lake is a trendy neighbourhood with a lot of cool restaurants, but Night+Market stands out from the rest with its amazing Thai street food. Prepare yourself for plates of super spicy and flavourful papaya salads, coconut rice and fish spiced with garlic and chillies.

Musso & Frank Grill (American)

For Old Hollywood glamour, there’s nowhere better than this LA institution. Open since 1919, it still serves classic dishes such as Welsh rarebit and lobster thermidor. Along with the delicious food, you get the thrill of eating where Greta Garbo, Charlie Chaplin and Marilyn Monroe once signed deals over steaks.

Lucques (Mediterranean)

Frequently named one of the best restaurants in Los Angeles, Lucques, helmed by Chef Suzanne Goin, is worth the splurge. It’s Mediterranean cuisine with a West Hollywood twist, so it’s healthy and tasty. The romantic setting – an old carriage house in a courtyard with ivy-draped walls – makes this a great date choice.

Café Gratitude (Vegetarian)

A favourite celeb haunt, Café Gratitude makes healthy eating a pleasure, not a chore. Salads of marinated kale or Mediterranean grains are garnished with garlic tahini and fig balsamic dressing; noodles made from kelp form the base of the pad Thai; and soups come in raw and cooked forms.

HI Hostel

The best hostels are usually ones where you can meet fellow travellers, and with room for 260 guests, HI Hostel certainly fits the bill. It also makes a good base if you want to be near the beach. The hostel organises daily trips to Disneyland, Universal Studios and other LA landmarks.

The Beverly Hills Hotel

This landmark hotel is more than a century old, and it’s seen an uncountable number of stars (and star-struck fans) pass through its doors. The ‘Pink Palace’ has kept up with the times, but it’s the old-school service and gorgeous gardens that keep guests coming back.

The Line

This industrial-chic hotel has a prime location in Koreatown. You can splash out on a room with floor-to-ceiling views of the Hollywood Hills, but there’s just as much to see inside the hotel. Its chic lounge is set in a greenhouse, and celebrity Chef Roy Choi runs the restaurants.

Shutters on the Beach

From the outside, you could easily mistake this oceanfront hotel for an overgrown beach house, complete with wicker furniture, louvered shutters and bicycles. But look inside and you’ll find luxurious rooms with whirlpool bathtubs, flat-screen TVs and balconies that look out to the ocean. Best of all, it’s only about two miles from the iconic Venice Beach.

Palihotel Melrose

This hip boutique hotel on Melrose Avenue used to be a hostel, but you wouldn’t know it – the building has been revamped to look like a trendy log cabin. There are just 32 rooms, which are modern but kitted out with knick knacks from different eras, and mini fridges stocked with Dean & DeLuca products.

Mr. C Beverly Hills

This glamorous hotel is a good place to mix with the beautiful people of LA. The wooden-decked turquoise pool is the place to see and be seen, but when you’re not sunbathing, you can chill out in rooms with private balconies, Chesterfield sofas and vintage photos of movie stars.

The Hollywood Roosevelt

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